Small baby link to later heart disease

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Babies born small after a full-term pregnancy have thicker heart
arteries than those who are heavier, according to a Sydney
University study that shows how an increased heart disease risk may
develop in later life.

But cardiologist David Celermajer, who led the research, said
the findings were positive news because they would allow parents to
be extra careful about the diet and fitness of smaller babies,
heading off potential heart problems in middle age.

The survey, of 50 babies born at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital,
used ultrasound technology to measure the thickness of the wall of
the aorta  the main artery in the abdomen.

Half the babies were in the lowest 10 per cent of birth-weights
for all infants, and among these the aortic wall was up to 50 per
cent thicker on average than among the heavier newborns.

Professor Celermajer said it was well known that babies who were
born small were at increased risk of heart disease in later life,
but the new study  conducted with colleague Michael Skilton
and published in The Lancet  demonstrated physical
differences were already present at birth.

"There is no doubt that having a thicker blood vessel wall is
unhealthy. This will allow us to turn our attention to the growth
of unborn babies as an important (heart disease) prevention
strategy," Professor Celermajer said.

If the link is established in larger studies, parents of
children born small might be advised to have their blood pressure
monitored regularly and ensure they do not put on weight too
quickly, which may further increase their heart risk in adulthood.
Thickening of the blood vessels was probably reversible with a
healthy lifestyle, he said.

The research team will now examine a group of eight-year-olds to
establish whether their aortic measurements can be linked to their
weights at birth.

Jeffrey Robinson, head of the department of obstetrics and
gynaecology at the University of Adelaide, said the work added to
growing knowledge about how a poorly functioning placenta could
affect the way in which babies develop.